The Secret Guardian
by SnowySilence
Summary: Kagome goes out on a date with Hojo. But when a demon attacks them, what happens?
1. Part 1

Part 1  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Forget it! I told you, Inuyasha! I have a date and I'm going to go out. So quit telling me I can't go! You have no right to tell me that!" Kagome yelled this over her shoulder as she continued to throw all of her things into her oversized backpack.  
  
Hojo had asked her out again, and this time she was determined not to be distracted or bail out of it. Hojo deserved better than that. He was a really nice guy, even if he was a bit on the dim side. But, she reminded herself, only when it comes to my grandpa and his wild stories about me being sick. And that goes for all of my friends, too. It's not his fault; he just doesn't know the truth, so of course he believes that I'm sick.  
  
As she threw the last of her things into her bag, Kagome stood up. "I'll be back in three days, so just stay put, Inuyasha." With that she walked over to the well. She looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha, who was currently giving her a nasty, You-Are-So-Going-To-Pay-For-That-When-You-Get-Back look. She had given him a "sit" only minutes before because he had been in a tirade and had started to pull things out of her bag. "Now just behave, Inuyasha. I'll be back soon."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kagome climbed out of the well and ran back up to the house. She was already late thanks to Inuyasha. Hojo would be there any minute and she still hadn't changed out of her uniform. Racing upstairs, she quickly jumped in the shower and washed up, got out, brushed her teeth, dried her hair, changed her clothes, and got back downstairs in five minutes. Just as she hit the bottom step, the doorbell rang. Good timing, she thought with a smile.  
  
She pulled open the door, and there was Hojo. He had a beautiful blue rose in his hand. He smiled. "You look beautiful, Kagome." Hojo reached out and handed her the rose.  
  
"Thank you. Come in, while I find a vase for this." Kagome bent her head toward the rose and smelled deeply. The rose carried with it the scent of a warm summer evening.  
  
Soon after, they both headed out of her house and down to the street. They went to the movies and watched some cheesy movie they laughed at and made stupid remarks about throughout the entire movie. After the movie, they went for a walk in the park.  
  
"I had a really great time tonight, Hojo." Kagome smiled at him, wondering why she always let Inuyasha get in the way of her enjoying you youth. 'Don't think about him.' Kagome sighed. It was inevitable that she would think of Inuyasha at least once.  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I know that you're sick all the time, so I'm just happy that you could make it." Hojo smiled at her. He moved under a large oak tree and sat down at it's base. He beckoned her down to sit next to him. "I think tonight was the first night that you weren't distracted. I was beginning to think you didn't like me."  
  
Kagome sat down next to him. "It's not you, Hojo. It's just that I have a lot of things on my mind, and it's hard to stay focused, sometimes." Kagome frowned. She could swear she sensed a jewel shard. All night that feeling had persisted, but it faded almost too fast for her to be sure she felt it. Again the feeling passed.  
  
"It's a really beautiful night tonight." Hojo smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Really romantic."  
  
Kagome smiled. Hojo was such a nice guy. Most of the guys at school treated her like a walking virus now that she was out of school so much, but not Hojo. He seemed to go out of his way to make sure she knew he thought she was special. Kagome leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah. Really beautiful night."   
  
All of a sudden, Kagome sat bolt straight. She hadn't imagined the feeling of a jewel shard. She could feel it. But now there were more. Many more. And a mass of them were moving toward them. She jumped up and looked wildly around. The only time she had felt this many jewel shards was when Naraku was nearby. But that was impossible. He couldn't be here.  
  
"Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
"I think we need to leave the park." But as soon as the last word was out of her mouth, the tree behind them seemed to explode. Hojo grabbed Kagome and covered her body with his, protecting her from flying bits of tree.  
  
"What the hell-" but Hojo didn't finish his question. He was looking over the top of Kagome's head and was staring at something. Kagome turned and gasped.  
  
"Naraku!" She tried to back away, but Hojo wasn't moving.  
  
Naraku smiled. "This is a very interesting place you come from, girl. Now hand over the jewel shard. And don't feign ignorance. I know that you have at least one shard with you, and that Inuyasha isn't expecting you for at least three days."  
  
Hojo growled under his breath. He then flung what appeared to be smoke bombs at Naraku, grabbed Kagome's hand and proceeded to run like hell.  
  
"What was that you threw-"  
  
"Later!" Hojo ran faster, dragging Kagome behind. She looked at the direction they were headed and realized he was heading for her house. When they reached the shrine he started yelling for her mother, brother and grandfather.   
  
"You have to leave the shrine for at least three days. A demon came through the well and attacked us tonight. He'll be heading this way soon, and I need to take Kagome through the well, and get her someplace safe. I'll be putting spells on the well on the other side so he won't be coming through. Not until Inuyasha breaks it on the other side, which means Naraku will be hanging around your house until then. So you gotta go now." Hojo said all of this in a rush while pulling Kagome toward the well shrine.  
  
"How do you-"  
  
"No time to explain, we've gotta go, now!" With that, he pulled Kagome against his chest, wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down the well. Without hesitation, he leapt down into the well, taking Kagome with him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ha! Bet you didn't expect that! A smart Hojo! ^_^ I have NEVER read a story where that boy had brains. LoL Just wait, he's a lot smarter than you can imagine. HINT: All demons bow to the human boy! LOL I'm evil, I know it. ^_^ Got Questions? Encourage me to write more by leaving me a review. Please R/R. ~_~ 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hojo quickly climbed out of the well, pulling Kagome with him. Once they were both out of the well, Hojo looked up at the dark sky. He closed his eyes and muttered something. His hand was clasped shut as if holding something, then he opened his fist and a small white light flew up into the sky, disappearing from sight. Hojo turned back to the well and pulled some paper spells out of his pocket and quickly placed them around the well, making it impossible for anyone to cross from the other side as well as from this side, unless the spells were removed. His task complete, Hojo turned and looked at Kagome. The wind had suddenly picked up and was blowing Kagome's hair around.  
  
"We should go, before it starts to rain."  
  
Kagome kept her distance from Hojo. The shock from the evening's events had worn off, and now she was unnerved by the whole situation. She pointed to the left. "The village is that way."  
  
Hojo looked at her a moment. "We're not going to the village." He said cautiously.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"We can't go there. If we do, we'd be putting Inuyasha and the other's lives in danger as well as yours. We have to go someplace else."  
  
"Hojo I don't know how you know all of this! Why would going to the village put us in danger? Inuyasha's half demon with the strength to prove it, Sango's a demon slayer, Miroku's a monk with some very handy tricks, and I have my purity arrows! We will be just fine!"  
  
"Kagome, I know that, but you have to trust me. If you go down to the village, you'll all die, and trust me, that would be a VERY bad thing."  
  
Kagome started pacing. "How do you know all of this? I never told you. No one would've believed me if I had said anything, so how is it you know about me and everything that's going on here?"  
  
"I... I can't tell you. At least not yet. I will though, I promise, but please, Kagome, trust me now. We cannot go to the village."  
  
Kagome stopped pacing and looked at Hojo. He had saved her from Naraku, had warned her family to leave for their own safety, and brought her back to the past. He was trying to protect her, that was obvious, and he seemed to know more about what was going on than she did. It stood to reason that he wouldn't try to hurt her now. She sighed. "All right. Where do we go?"   
  
Hojo smiled in relief. "I'm not sure, but for now, we get as far away from here as possible." A light rain had started to fall. Hojo took off his jacket and put it on Kagome's shoulders. "You're gonna need this." He took her hand and started to walk away from the well.  
  
Kagome sighed and followed him. "Hojo, we don't have any money, or supplies, and I don't know about you, but I can't hunt that well. What are we going to do for shelter, not to metion food, and warmth."   
  
"It's alright. We'll be fine."  
  
"But, Hojo-"  
  
"I promise you Kagome, we're going to be fine." He turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile. They walked in silence for a while, before it suddenly struck Kagome that it was raining.  
  
"Hojo, how did you know it would rain?"  
  
"Because I made it rain."  
  
"You did? How'd you do that? More importantly, why?"  
  
"Well, I did it with a spell, and I did it so the rain would mask our scents as well as wash them away. Inuyasha can't know your back, or know that I'm here."  
  
"Oh." Kagome sighed. It was pointless to ask him anything else, because she had a feeling that he would just say that he couldn't tell her yet.  
  
~~*~~*~~  
  
Inuyasha scowled up at the sky through the window. "The night was clear less than ten minutes ago. How did it get so stormy so fast?"  
  
Miroku was watching the sky as well. "This isn't natural. I can feel the magic in the air."  
  
"Why would someone want to conjure up a rain storm?"  
  
"Probably to mask themselves. Tell me, do you smell anything out there?"  
  
Inuyasha sniffed the air. "No." He looked Miroku. "Are you telling me someone's out there and they don't want us to find them?"  
  
"That is probably the case."  
  
"Well, this rain won't do them any good. I'm going to go out there and find them." With that Inuyasha stood up and walked out the door. Not five seconds later a bright, white streak of lightning flashed in front of the hut followed immediately by a loud clap of thunder. The wind howled around the hut, making it groan against the wind, and the rain fell heavily against the sides of the hut. Within seconds, Inuyasha was back inside, soaking wet and looking a little shell shocked.  
  
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?"  
  
"No The lightning almost hit me! It was like it was taking aim!" He shook out his hair, splattering everything and everyone with droplets of water. He looked back out the window, ignoring the others as they gave him angry looks for getting them wet.  
  
"What is going on that someone doesn't want us to know about?"  
  
~~*~~*~~  
  
"Can you tone the rain down a bit?" Kagome shouted over the wind. She was covering her face and leaning into the wind just so she could walk without being blown over.  
  
"I wish I could! But one of your friends is trying to come out into the storm! It'll keep getting worse until they give up and stay inside!" Hojo shouted this back to her. He looked around for a moment, shielding his face, before he spotted a cave. "We'll stay there tonight!"  
  
Hojo took her arm and helped to the cave. When they both managed to get inside, they sighed in relief.   
  
Kagome wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She was soaking wet and very cold. Hojo watched her for a moment before he started to work on building a fire. It took a while because they only had the wood that was inside the cave. Hojo struck a match and lit some tinder. A few minutes later, there was a roaring fire in the middle of the cave.  
  
Kagome smiled her thanks and sat down in front of the fire, holding her hands out for warmth. Hojo sat down next to her.  
  
"Sorry, about this. This isn't how I wanted our date to end." He looked sideways at her.  
  
"It's not your fault. Naraku was obviously watching me and figured out how the well worked. If this is anyone's fault it's mine." Kagome turned her head and looked at Hojo. "By the way, thank you. For saving my life."  
  
Hojo smiled at her. "Your welcome." He grinned for a moment. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Kagome? I mean other than the whole demon attacking and the running for our lives thing."  
  
Kagome laughed softly. "I had a really nice time tonight." She smiled at him. "So, how would this date have ended if Naraku hadn't shown up?"  
  
Hojo looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "Like this." He moved his hands up and cupped her cheeks. He leaned forward, gently kissing her. Kagome gasped in surprise.   
  
Hojo pulled back with a smile. "That's how I wanted this date to end."  
  
Kagome looked wide eyed at him for a moment before a small smile crossed her lips. She cleared her throat. "I think I'm going to try to sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long walking day."  
  
Hojo grinned. "Your right. Inuyasha won't make it to the well for at least two days, so we're going to get as far away as we can in that time, and hopefully, by then, I'll have you someplace safe."  
  
Kagome smiled a shy smile at him. "Good night."  
  
~~*~~*~~  
  
Hojo walked farther down into the cave. Kagome was sound asleep, so it was relatively safe to use the Summons. He stood in the dark for a moment. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. A small glowing orb began floating in front of him. He opened his eyes and caught the small light with his hand. When he reopened his hand, the light had divided into two.  
  
Hojo looked into the glowing orbs. Hojo thought for a moment on who would be the best people to call to protect Kagome. They had to be strong and the last people Inuyasha would think of. Finally, two names came to mind and he smiled. He looked back into the lights and repeated the names three times before he released them.  
  
The little bouncing lights danced before him for a moment before they flew out into the dark and stormy night. He knew that the little orbs would find these demons, and that the demons would know what the lights meant. They would come as soon as they saw the Summons.   
  
Hojo sighed. He just hoped Kagome wouldn't be too upset with his choice of guardians for her.  
  
~*~*~  
  
My goodness. ^_^ You guys must have really liked this story! LoL Thanx to the ten reviewers for their kind words. It is much appreciated. ^_^ I hope this part lives up to your expectations, but alas, I think it's highly disappointing. I used my group as as a test audience, and they seemed to like it, so I decided to post it here. ^_^;; I think this part should be used to light someone's fire, personally. But this was my best attempt out of four that were deleted, so here it is.  
  
Please be Kind. R/R ~_~ 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kagome shivered as she climbed up the side of the cliff. The ground was slippery and she needed to grasp Hojo's hand in order to keep from falling and sliding down the rocky side.  
  
"We're almost there, Kagome. Just a little farther." Hojo held tight to her hand. He found foot holds and guided her up. They were almost at the top, which was good, because both of them were tired.  
  
They had left the cave two days ago. They hadn't been lucky enough to find another cave to sleep in, so they had to try and sleep under shrubs to keep as dry as they could. Hojo would hunt for food, so they didn't starve, but it had been difficult to find a semi dry spot to start a fire in order to cook. And they didn't have any money, so when they had come across the village earlier that day, they couldn't stay at the inn there. But Hojo had traded the small rabbit pelts for some bread and cheese to hold them in case they couldn't find a decent place to cook again.  
  
Hojo was grateful to Kagome that she didn't complain about the way they were surviving these last few days. It had worried him that she might demand that they go back to the village to stay with Inuyasha and the others. But she didn't once complain about their circumstances.  
  
Hojo climbed on top of the ledge at the top of the steep hill and reached down to help Kagome stand. They both sighed in relief that the climb was over. When they turned around to continue on, they both stopped and stared in awe.  
  
Before them was the most beautiful ravine either had ever seen. It dipped low, almost as low as the ground from where they had climbed up. Trees grew and covered the area across from them like a ceiling, so that the flat rock beneath was dry. And it was deep enough that the wind blew over the top, but didn't go down into the small paradise. A waterfall fell down into the spring at the bottom. It was a perfect safe haven.  
  
Kagome glanced over at Hojo, silently praying that he would let them rest here. He glanced back at her, and gave her a small smile. That was enough of an answer for Kagome. She beamed up at him.  
  
He took her hand again and led the way down the side. It wasn't difficult, but it was still slippery. When they finally reached the flat rock across from where they had been standing, they both sighed in relief. Kagome sat down on the flat rock.  
  
"Wow, this rock is really warm." Kagome said, sighing in content.  
  
Hojo smiled and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry that it turned out like this. I didn't want to make this trip unpleasant for you."  
  
"Well, I can't say I enjoy feeling like a drowned rat, but it hasn't been too bad. I just wish I could wash my clothes." Kagome looked longingly at the steaming water in front of them. "How long are we going to stay here?"  
  
"What would you think about camping here for the night?"  
  
Kagome swung her head towards him. "You mean that?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm not happy about being soggy either. And this is a nice, warm place we can set up camp, so why not?" Hojo shrugged. "I don't think Inuyasha will be able to guess where we are. The rain probably washed all our scent away by now."  
  
Kagome grinned at him. "Maybe we can get dry now, huh?"  
  
Hojo returned the smile. He dug in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a piece of muslin. "Here." He said, handing her the cloth.  
  
Kagome looked at him curiously for a moment before she took it. Something was wrapped up in it. Carefully, Kagome unwrapped the object. It was no bigger that her fist and when she finished unwrapping it, Kagome's eyes lit up with surprise then happiness. It was a chunk of soap.  
  
"I bought it when we were in that village today." Hojo said in a way of an explanation. "Now you can wash your clothes."  
  
Kagome grinned. "Thank you. But I hope that isn't a subtle way of telling me to take a bath."  
  
Hojo's eyes widened with surprise. Then he turned red with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to say... It's just that... But I was just..."  
  
Kagome laughed. "I'm sorry, Hojo. I shouldn't have teased you like that. It was very nice of you to get this soap for me. I really appreciate it." Kagome looked down at the soap as if it were a precious treasure. She stood up and walked over to the water's edge, then she glanced back at Hojo. "Umm, I don't know how we should do this."  
  
Hojo flushed. Of course. He'd forgotten that he didn't have the familiarity with Kagome that would allow her to bathe with him there. "I'll go take a walk." He said, standing up.  
  
"No, no! I didn't mean to leave! You can stay." Kagome turned red this time. "I'd feel safer if you were here. Inuyasha just turns his back, so you can do that."  
  
Hojo immediately turned his back. After a moment he heard her getting into the water. Just the thought of her bathing behind him made him turn red again. What had he been thinking?  
  
Kagome was delighted to be able to take a bath. It felt wonderful. She had begun to feel itchy from all the water, sweat and dirt from the last few days, so getting clean was a real treat. She quickly washed her clothes and threw them up onto the rock. Then she scrubbed herself clean.  
  
She glanced over at Hojo. His back was to her, and he was leaning down, spreading her clothes out over the heated rock so they would dry better. She turned pink when she saw him spread out her bra and underwear. But it was still thoughtful of him to spread them out for her. She had figured she'd be putting them on wet.   
  
"Hojo."  
  
"Yeah?" He kept his back to her.  
  
"I think you should bathe, too." At her words Hojo whipped around and stared at her. When he realized that, he whipped back around, turning crimson. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, Hojo. I just know that you have to be feeling dirty too. Besides, this spring is big enough for the both of us."  
  
"But, Kagome..." Hojo didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't proper for him to bathe with her, but she was right. Her clothes would take a while to dry, even with the extra heat from the rock, and he did feel like getting clean. But his main concern was the fact that if Inuyasha found out, Hojo would be lucky if he got a quick death.  
  
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Hojo! Just come and take a bath! I won't bite you." Kagome glowered up at him. Was he afraid of her or something?  
  
Hojo stood there for a moment, letting his thoughts battle it out. Then he sighed. "Okay." He did feel dirty, and he wasn't planning on Inuyasha ever finding out about this, even though he wasn't doing anything wrong.  
  
Slowly, Hojo turned around, giving Kagome time to cover up anything she didn't want him seeing. Her back was to him so he could climb into the water in privacy. He took off his shoes and that's all. Hojo lowered himself in the water fully clothed.  
  
Kagome had set the piece of soap up on the rock. He picked it up and began to wash his clothing, taking one article off at a time, then throwing them up on the rock in a heap. After they were all washed, he glanced over at Kagome to be sure her back was still to him, then climbed out to spread his clothes out. When he was done he jumped back in.  
  
"Hey Hojo, you never did tell me what you threw at Naraku." She said this over her shoulder. She just wanted to talk to get her mind off the fact that they were bathing together. Even if it was a necessity, She still felt a little bit embarrassed about it.  
  
"It was a kind of spell. I had it on a small rock, which he would catch just to see what it was, and then the spell would work on him."  
  
"What kind of spell?"  
  
"It's just a charm to paralyze. But with as strong as he is, I figured the longest it would last is a few minutes."  
  
"Why did you save me?" Kagome hadn't meant to ask that question, but it just seemed to pop out. "Forget I asked."  
  
Hojo turned around in surprise, forgetting that they were both naked. "Why would you ask that?"  
  
Kagome also forgot that fact, because she turned around too. "Because, every guy that's had any interest in me, seems to have ulterior motives." Kagome's self esteem was suffering because of this fact, and now she voiced her doubts. "Inuyasha didn't even like me before. When we started to look for the jewel shards is when he started to treat me differently, and whenever he showed concern for me, he assured me it was because he might lose his jewel detector. Kouga says he loves me, and that I have qualities that would be good in a mate, but again, one of those qualities is being able to find jewel shards. You kept asking me on dates, and I assumed it was because you liked me, and then I find out that you know all about what I've been doing. Was it because you were watching out for me that you asked me on those dates? To keep me from facing demons like Naraku in our time?" She searched his eyes, hoping she wouldn't see that that was his reason.  
  
"Kagome, I asked you out on those dates because I liked you. I won't lie and tell you that that's the only reason. I did want to keep an eye on you so you'd be safe in our time, but that was only a little part of it. I've liked you for a long time, Kagome, and I just wanted to spend some time with you." He watched the doubt cross he face. Of course she would think he had ulterior motives. But Hojo wanted to get his point across.   
  
He approached her slowly, giving her enough time to back away if she felt threatened. She didn't. So when he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Hojo looked down into her eyes, seeing if their was any hesitancy, then he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. It wasn't an impassioned kiss of two new lovers, or just a kiss between friends. It was an intimate kiss that shared tender feelings between two people that cared about each other, a kiss that showed there was no secrets or lies, just honesty and trust.  
  
A throat clearing interrupted their kiss. Hojo looked towards the rock, and groaned inwardly. Of course, they had to show up now. He heard Kagome's gasp and felt her move farther behind him so she couldn't be seen.  
  
"Have we interrupted something?" Kouga said coldly. His eyes shot daggers at Hojo. Sesshoumaru just raised an eyebrow.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hee..... *scratches the back of head* Hmmmm........... I'm actually at a loss. I don't know whether or not to start a romance between Hojo and Kagome. What's your guy's opinion?  
  
Please be Kind! R/R ~_~ 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hojo sighed. "Good timing. How long were you standing there?"  
  
"Long enough." Kouga said as he glared murder at Hojo.  
  
Hojo turned his back to the two demons and faced Kagome. "Move behind those rocks over there. I'll get out and give you your clothes."  
  
Kagome just nodded and moved, her mortification obvious.  
  
When she was hidden behind the rocks, Hojo moved back to where their clothes were spread out. Unconcerned about the two demons, he slowly got dressed. His clothes were still wet, making him grimace. Then, he leaned over Kagome's clothes and touched them gently. Warmth emanated from his hand, spreading over her clothing and dried them within moments.  
  
When they were dry, he carried them over to the rock face and set them down. Kagome peeked out from behind the rock and looked over at the three men. "Turn your backs! I can't get dressed while you're gawking at me." She scowled up at them.  
  
Immediately, all three men turned their backs, Hojo thoroughly embarrassed that he'd forgotten he shouldn't look.  
  
"Why did you Summon us?" Sesshoumaru asked Hojo.  
  
"I want you two to protect Kagome."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Hojo cringed. "Kagome, I have to go back to our world, and you need to be protected. These two can protect-"  
  
"Not a chance! Inuyasha can protect me!" Kagome, now fully dressed hit Hojo on the shoulder, signaling that they could turn around.  
  
"Kagome-"  
  
"This was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it? To abandon me with them? Hojo, how could you?" Kagome went from angry to hurt in a blink.  
  
Hojo started to panic. "Kagome, I should have told you, you're right. But I was afraid you would fight me on this, and I couldn't afford that. I'm really sorry. Please, don't be upset."  
  
Before Kagome could blast Hojo, Sesshoumaru interrupted. "Why are you allowing her to speak to you that way? You should keep her in her place and not allow such bad behavior."  
  
"Bad behavior?!" Kagome stared at Sesshoumaru incredulously. "Why are you here anyway?"  
  
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm here because he Summoned me." He nodded toward Hojo.  
  
"You don't seem like the type to do what anyone tells you to, so that didn't answer my question. And why would you do what a human told you to do anyway?"  
  
Hojo closed his eyes. This was not going well. He opened his eyes and grabbed Kagome's arm, pulling her into a tight hug. He murmured something softly into her hair and then kissed her forehead. Kagome went limp in his arms. Hojo swept her off her feet and cradled her to his chest and turned back to the two demons. She would be furious with him when she woke up, but he'd deal with it when he saw her next.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Kouga took a threatening step forward.  
  
"Calm down, Kouga. She's just asleep." Hojo moved toward Kouga and handed Kagome to him. "I didn't tell her what I was. She thinks that I'm just another boy at her school."  
  
"Why did you not tell her?" Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl his brother had taken into his care.  
  
"Because I didn't. And I don't want you two to tell her either. Understand?"  
  
"Of course." Sesshoumaru nodded respectively to Hojo. Kouga glowered for a moment longer before he, too, nodded.  
  
"Good. Now I want you two to protect her with your lives. She's not to come to any harm. And avoid Inuyasha and his friends. They cannot find her."  
  
Kouga frowned. "Why?"  
  
Hojo gave him a level look. "The fate of the future relies on all of their survival. If something happens to any of them, very bad things will happen." Hojo looked away from them. "I would protect her myself, but I have to go and make sure things go right."  
  
"Don't worry about Kagome. We'll protect her with our lives. But what about Inuyasha and the others? You said that their survival is paramount as well." Kouga looked down at Kagome's sleeping face. "Do we need to protect them too?"  
  
"No. They will be fine, as long as they don't see Kagome."  
  
"What happens if they do?"  
  
"Not your concern." Hojo looked directly into Kouga's eyes. "Just make sure you two prevent that from happening. They cannot find her. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Now, I'm heading back. Take care of her." With that, Hojo made his way back up the cliff side, leaving Kagome in the care of the two demons.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha eyed the well, not exactly sure whether or not to remove the paper spells or not. He wanted to tear the damn things to shreds, but Miroku was right. He didn't know what that would do.  
  
He watched as Miroku examined each of the paper spells, careful to avoid touching any of them. They had all been standing by the well for an hour in the drizzle and still had no idea why someone would seal the well, and make it rain for three days.   
  
"Well, I can tell you that these spells are to seal the travel between Kagome's world and ours. Also, I can't remove them."  
  
"What?! Miroku, You better figure out a way to remove those spells!" Inuyasha glared at the monk.  
  
"You didn't let me finish. I can't remove the spell, Inuyasha, because they are designed to be removed by only one person. Not even the person who laid these spells can remove them."  
  
"Well, who can remove them? I want that well opened now."  
  
"The spell specifically demands that you, Inuyasha, be the one to remove the spell." Miroku gave him a level look. "That worries me."  
  
"Huh? Me? Why?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But there's no help for it. We have to unseal the well so Lady Kagome can come back." Miroku faced the well and got into a battle stance. "Just be ready for anything, Inuyasha."  
  
Sango and Kilala took up similar stances, while Shippou moved behind a tree. Inuyasha looked at the well a moment, fear for Kagome beating in his heart. Quickly, he tore all the paper spells to shreds.  
  
Almost instantaneously, a blur of white fur hurtled out of the well and landed in a nearby tree. Inuyasha swung around, his shock apparent. "Naraku, what the hell?" He quickly sprang into action, launching himself up at the demon and swiped at him with his claws.  
  
Naraku easily avoided the attack, and smirked at Inuyasha. "That girl comes from a very interesting place. I must say I rather enjoyed my visit there. I'll be sure to do it again soon. But you'll excuse me, I have a boy to kill." With that, Naraku leapt away and disappeared from site.  
  
"Dammit!!!" Inuyasha swore a blue streak as he jumped down the well. What happened to Kagome? Was she okay? Did Naraku hurt her?  
  
As he hit the well bottom, he leapt straight up and out of the well, racing towards Kagome's house. He crashed through the door and raced around the house, looking for any sign that she was there. When he found no trace of her, he ran out of the house. He smelled deeply and scented her family. In a flash, Inuyasha was racing towards them. He found them in a hotel a few miles from the shrine.  
  
"Where's Kagome? Is she okay?" Inuyasha said as greeting.  
  
"Inuyasha! We thought she was with you! She went through the well three days ago. Didn't you see her?" Kagome's mother stood up, a worried expression on her face.  
  
"Does this mean that demon's gone and we can go home?" Souta asked.  
  
Inuyasha tried to process what he'd been told. Kagome hod gone through the well three days ago. That very night, a magic made rain storm had been created to hide someone's presence from him. Someone had also sealed the well preventing anyone from crossing. None of it was adding up. Was Kagome trying to hide from him? Why? What was going on?  
  
Souta tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve. "Can we go home now?"  
  
Inuyasha looked down at Souta. "Yeah, Naraku already went back to my time. So it's safe now."  
  
"Good!" Souta beamed up at Inuyasha. "Tell sis when you see her that Hojo was really cool for warning us, okay? You know her temper. She's probably mad at him."  
  
"Hojo?" Inuyasha's mind whirled. Wasn't he the guy she'd come back here to see? "What do you mean, he warned you?"  
  
"You didn't see him either?" Kagome's mother frowned. "He brought Kagome home. He warned us to get away from the shrine immediately, that that demon was going to be there for a while because he was sealing the well to prevent it from crossing back. He also said he was going to take Kagome to safety. I assumed he meant he was going to bring her to you."  
  
"No, I haven't seen either of them." Inuyasha looked over them all. "You can go back to your home now. It's safe. Excuse me. I gotta go find Kagome now." Inuyasha exited the room, and made his way back to the well. By the time he crossed back over, his temper was full force.  
  
"Inuyasha, did you find her?" Sango asked, holding her breath.  
  
"No. She's here in our time. Apparently, she's been back for three days now, WITH HER BOYFRIEND!!!" Inuyasha exploded. He stormed of in the direction of the village.  
  
"What?" Miroku quickly caught up with Inuyasha and grabbed his arm to stop him. That was a mistake, considering Inuyasha's state of mind. Miroku was just able to avoid his slashing claws. "Calm down a minute! Tell us exactly what happened."  
  
Inuyasha kept walking back to the village, but he told the others what he had learned. When they had reached the village, Miroku was thinking hard on what it all meant.  
  
"He must have sealed the well." Miroku concluded. "And made the rain storm to hide the fact that Kagome was back. But why?"  
  
"That's exactly what I plan on asking him when I find him." Inuyasha said.  
  
"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku didn't try to stop him this time, just waited to see if he would comply. When Inuyasha did stop, Miroku sighed in relief. "I think we should wait here for him."  
  
"What are you talking about, Monk? He has Kagome! We need to find them!" Inuyasha glared at him, daring him to argue. Miroku was never one to back down, so he did argue back.  
  
"He comes from Kagome's time. He's got to come back here to get back home. And if we watch the well, we won't miss him when he does come back."  
  
Inuyasha just scowled for a moment. Eventually, he sighed. "Fine. We'll wait here for him. But I get to kill him, got it?"  
  
Miroku just smiled. If Hojo was the one to set the spells, he was very powerful, and Inuyasha would find it hard to kill him. But if he had hurt Kagome in any way, he would deserve death.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for the log delay in this chapter!!!! ^^;; I've had so many other projects to work on that this one got put on the back burner. Gomen.   
  
But I want to thank all of you people that reviewed! ^____^ I pulled this off the back burner for you guys because you kept giving me such wonderful reviews, even after all these months of no updates. *sniff* You guys are so great!!!!! Thank you!!!!   
  
I will try to update this story more frequently. But I have some other stories that are getting some wonderful reviews too, and it all depends on which story is more popular. I swear to you all that I will finish these stories. I promise!!! So just give me patience and you'll get your story! ^_~ 


	5. Part 5

Sorry it's been so long since I updated anything. . I'm just getting back into the swing of things, so I hope you like it.

Part 5

Kagome was feeling extremely comfortable when she woke up. She stretched and opened her eyes and wished she hadn't. She had no idea where she was and no idea how she got there.

She was in a cave, laying on a bed of straw covered with a wool blanket. There was a roaring fire a few feet away. The cave was large with a high ceiling and deep walls, but it only had one exit. And from what she could see, it was dark outside and still rainy.

What on earth had happened that had put her here? The last thing she remembered was that beautiful ravine– Kagome's eyes widened as she remembered the day's events and with the returning of her memory, her temper flared.

How dare Hojo treat her like she couldn't take care of herself! And how dare he pass her to the two people Inuyasha would take the most offence to her being with!

Kagome jumped up and stormed to the entrance of the cave and straight out into the storm. It was so dark she couldn't see where she was going and after only about ten steps, strong arms grabbed her and hauled her back into the cave.

Kouga practically dropped her on the ground. "Woman, what do you think you were doing! You could have fallen to your death!" he yelled. "You happen to be on the side of a mountain!" Kouga glared down at Kagome. "Just stay put, will you? Make my job easier." With that he turned around and walked to the entrance of the cave and sat down, staring out into the storm.

Kagome just stared at him. Kouga had never treated her like this before. He was obviously angry at her, but for what? Then she remembered what he had seen at the ravine. She blushed.

"Kouga-"

"Save it. I don't want to talk to you." Kouga said this without turning.

"But-"

"I said save it!"

"What do you have to be upset about! I'm the one being held hostage!" Kagome finally let her temper loose. "Don't give me that righteous attitude! I've done nothing wrong, and I'm not going to apologize for bruising your oversized ego!" She turned and stormed back to the small make shift bed and sat down in a huff, glaring at the back of Kouga's head.

Kouga jumped up and stared at Kagome incredulously. At first he was at a loss for words. Then too many things rushed into his mind to scream at her, that all he could do for a moment was sputter. "What do you mean you have nothing to apologize for! You were KISSING him! How am I supposed to feel about that!"

"It's none of your business who I kiss Kouga." She glowered at him. "And where is Hojo, anyway?"

Kouga stared at her, not believing what he was hearing. Without responding, he whirled around ready to go out into the storm, but was stopped by the arrival of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Must you fight with her?" Kouga growled and stormed out of the cave, leaving Kagome alone with Inuyasha's brother.

Kagome glowered at the demon. She never liked Sesshoumaru. He was always so distant and cold.

Sesshoumaru just ignored her presence all together. It was like she wasn't even in the cave. Which slightly miffed Kagome. Well, if he thought he could just ignore her, he was in for a surprise.

"Sesshoumaru? What am I doing here?"

No response.

"Why don't you take me back to Inuyasha?"

No response.

"Why don't you go drown yourself out in the storm?"

Sesshoumaru turned to look at her. "I was told not to discuss the circumstances of why you are here."

"Why not?" Kagome glared at him. "It's not like I want to be here and I have a right to know!"

"Perhaps, but that boy told us not to discuss this with you and I will not." He turned away.

Kagome just watched him for a moment. Then she flopped back against the straw and stared at the ceiling. This wasn't going to be pleasant. And, Kagome swore to herself, she was going to pull an Inuyasha on Hojo the next time she saw him. Kill first then ask questions.

Hojo was just about at the well. He knew it would be guarded now, but that wouldn't be a problem. He'd just cast a quick and easy spell to make the guards nod off and he'd slip through the well with no one the wiser.

He reached the tree line and peered at the well, quite surprised that he saw no one there. He had fully expected there to be at least one person watching the well. There was no way that Inuyasha and the others had missed Naraku coming through. So where were the guards?

Hojo thought a minute. If a guard wasn't posted at the well, it meant that they were in the trees watching from a distance. He eyed the tree line, hoping to see someone, anyone. But he had the sinking suspicion that there was no one assigned to watch the well. Instead, the people he was really hoping to avoid were probably watching. And if that was the case, he highly doubted he'd be lucky enough to get through the well undetected.

He heard a throat clear behind him and he whipped around. Hojo saw Inuyasha standing on a high tree branch looking extremely scary. "Planning on going somewhere?" Inuyasha said in a menacing voice.

Before Hojo could do anything, Inuyasha pounced. He flew at Hojo with immense speed and force, hitting Hojo squarely in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Hojo lost his breath and saw stars dancing in front of his eyes before Inuyasha came back into focus. Inuyasha was breathing hard, his lips curled back over his teeth. One hand was holding him in place while the other was raised, claws outstretched ready to strike the fatal blow.

Hojo stared up at Inuyasha, afraid he might set the half demon off by moving. Now what?

"Don't kill him yet, Inuyasha. We still need him to tell us where Kagome is." A man's voice said. Hojo turned his head slightly to see a tall and slender man in robes walk into view, a beautiful young woman following after him. Both looked ready to do battle if necessary.

'No way.' thought Hojo. 'This can't be Miroku and Sango...' He looked back at Inuyasha. The half demon lowered his hand slightly, but didn't move otherwise.

Inuyasha leaned back and raised Hojo eye level and hissed, "Where the hell is Kagome?"

Hojo hadn't thought of any excuses about where Kagome was, because he had really thought that Inuyasha and the others would have already been out looking for Kagome, not waiting at the well for him. He didn't have a clue as to what to tell them.

"For heaven's sake, Inuyasha, let him up. He can hardly breathe in that position, let alone talk." The woman said, giving Inuyasha a stern look. Inuyasha growled but listened to her and let Hojo go, dropping him back on the ground.

Hojo pushed himself into a sitting position. "Thanks." he said to the woman. She glared at him.

"Don't think that because I asked him to let you go means I'm not all for him ripping you apart. Answer our question. Where's Kagome?"

Hojo sighed and stood up. This was not going to be easy. "Are you really Sango?"

The woman blinked. "Kagome told you about me?"

"No. So you are?"

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Yes. So if she didn't tell you about us, who did?"

"It's a long and complicated story." He looked at the man in the robes. "You're Miroku? Honestly?"

"Yes." Miroku looked at him, contemplating.

"You two are definitely not what I expected." Hojo gave a slight smile. "And to answer your question, Kagome's fine, and in a safe place."

"That didn't answer the question." Inuyasha snapped. "Where is she?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that right now. Just trust me, she's safe."

"You want us to trust you? You kidnaped her and hid her away from us! You tell us where she is right now, or so help me, I'll be ripping you apart!" Inuyasha yelled this and took a menacing step forward.

Hojo raised his hands, trying to forestall the violence. "I didn't kidnap her. We were attacked."

"Yes. By Naraku. And you sealed the well, so why don't you just cut to the chase and tell us where Kagome is." Miroku said this calmly. This was his subtle way of telling Hojo they weren't buying his innocent act.

Hojo closed his eyes. This was definitely not going in his favor. "Look, I understand that you're worried about her. But she's safe. I can't go into detail right now, though. I have to get back home. I swear to you, I'll come back and help you find her, but right now I don't have the time."

"You expect us to believe that?" Sango said, narrowing her eyes.

"You don't have a choice. I have to go." Hojo looked at each of the party members.

"You're not leaving until we have Kagome back." Inuyasha glared at Hojo.

Hojo sighed. "Fine." Hojo closed his eyes, murmured a few words and in a slow, flaring light, Kagome appeared. She blinked a few times, looking extremely confused.

"Inuyasha?"

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Inuyasha rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Miroku and Sango also walked over to greet their friend.

Hojo slowly crept backwards toward the well. The illusion would hold for a few minutes, then the Kagome he had conjured up would fade away. This wasn't the best of plans by any means, seeing as they would look at it as some kind of treachery and betrayal. They would be hard pressed to trust him after this, but he had to leave. There was too much at stake for him to stand around trying to convince them he was on their side and Kagome was safe.

He reached the well, grateful that the others were still too busy talking to the illusion to notice his departure. He sat on the side of the well and allowed himself to fall backwards down the well. The tingling as he passed through the barrier gave him a sigh of relief. He was home.


End file.
